Eight days a week
by Nylah
Summary: Eight days of pointless cluelessness. Danny and Sam decide to show Tucker that being a third wheel isn't fun. DxS
1. Friday

A/N: This started out as a one shot, but I thought It'd be more fun doing it this way. Just to prove that I can do something else beside dark and dreary :) Don't expect too much from this, just some fluff.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or the title 'Eight days a week'.

* * *

**Friday**

Tucker sat slumped in his chair in the warm classroom, staring at the clock. He had been sitting like that and staring like that for the last five minutes, and there were still more than ten to go. Ten more minutes of detention. Ten more minutes of boring himself to death. He had finished his homework ages ago, he had examined every stain on the ceiling, had counted the tiles on the wall, had watched in fascination as Mr Lancer's hand hovered at his coffee mug while grading papers... But the man never missed, never knocked the mug with 'Worlds Greatest Teacher' in bold letters on it from his desk.

Tearing his eyes away from the clock, Tucker looked outside and watched the football players practice on the fields for a few minutes, before deciding that that was even more boring than watching the clock. He glanced down at his desk, at the ink stains on it, and deliberately focused and unfocused his eyes a few times to see if he could see anything in the oddly shaped forms. One of them looked like his PDA.

He put a little spit on his finger and started rubbing at the PDA-shaped ink glob, brushing away a strange protrusion that clearly didn't belong there and then eyed his creation in satisfaction. His finger was now blue, but he didn't mind. His eyes wandered over the desk, at the other stains and marks on it. 'Mikey loves Paulina', it said in the corner, and the person who had written it – probably Mikey himself – had practically engraved the desk with it, pushing his pen so hard against the desk's surface it had cracked.

Tucker looked up at Mr Lancer, but the teacher was looking down at his papers. Then he looked at the clock. Five more minutes. He picked up his own pen and quickly scribbled something beneath Mickey's carvings: D loves S. He grinned. He knew it was true, everybody knew it was true, the only question was when the two clueless lovebirds themselves would figure it out. He had every intention on pushing them together. He was sure it'd work this year. Almost two whole years of blushing whenever they accidentally touched each other, one and a half years of ghost hunting together and Danny carrying Sam bridal style whenever he scooped her out of a dangerous situation, two whole years of Tucker making suggestive remarks that caused more blushing.

He sighed. Mr Lancer looked up at him, and then at the clock. Two more minutes to go. The teacher waved his hand.

"Just go, Mr Foley. And try to keep your PDA in your bag during class next time."

Tucker's jaw dropped and he sat there for a moment, gaping at the man. Then, before Mr Lancer could change his mind, he jumped up, stuffed his homework into his backpack and habitually walked to the window to look outside, where his friends supposedly were waiting.

His jaw dropped again. And his backpack. He leaned forward, pressing his head against the glass, staring. Staring at his friends, busy exploring each other's mouths with their tongues, Sam's arms around Danny's neck, and Danny's hands at Sam's back, one hand moving upwards and sliding under the hem of her tank top.

"_Romeo and Juliet!_" Mr Lancer exclaimed.

"Oh man," Tucker muttered, "I'm rich."

* * *

"Is he gone?" 

"Yup. You can stop now."

Danny stepped back and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Do you really have to wear that purple lipstick?" He asked, examining his hand.

"Did you really have to feel your way up my back?"

Danny turned red and muttered something. Then he looked at the school.

"He's not gonna go to his locker, he'll be straight out. You think he got the message, or should we...?"

Sam smirked at him.

"I'm sure he got the message. He had his face practically glued to the window. By the way, Mr Lancer saw us too."

"Who cares. Here he comes."

* * *

When Tucker walked outside, they were still at it. He stopped a little bit away from them and watched, feeling a little uncomfortable. Finally, when they appeared not to notice him at all, he cleared his throat. 

"Hi Tucker," Danny said, breaking off the kiss but keeping his eyes on Sam.

"Um," Tucker said.

His friends finally looked away from each other, seemingly having difficulty in tearing their eyes loose. Tucker noticed a purple smear on Danny's cheek and he brought his hand to his own cheek, motioning to Danny that there was something on his. His friend quickly wiped his face with his right hand, wrapping his left arm tightly around Sam and pulling her close.

"So," Tucker said, scratching his head underneath his red beret and then replacing it, "When did this happen?"

"Oh, just now," Danny said casually, glancing down at his now girlfriend, "You know."

Tucker didn't know, but was determined to hear all the details. He tried questioning his friends as they were walking to the Nasty Burger together, but to his dismay they hardly heard what he was saying. He got a lot of huhs, 'what did you says' and 'I'm sorry, Tuck, I didn't hear yous' from them. They seemed to be completely enthralled with each other, and he ruefully decided that it was to be expected. He had been pushing them together for the past two years, he'd just have to endure the first few days and then they'd go back to normal. After all, jut how long can a person look into another person's eyes and not be bored?

Very long, it turned out. They didn't even notice when Tucker pulled out his PDA and started to do some calculations. Danny and Sam were sitting in their booth at the Nasty Burger, sharing a soy milkshake with two straws, gazing in each other's eyes. Tucker tried to make conversation, but they hardly responded. In the end he got up to leave.

"Guys?"

They looked up in surprise.

"Hey," Sam said, "You gonna leave?"

Tucker produced a strained smile.

"Got things to do," he said, "Are we still on for the arcade tonight?"

"Sure," Danny said absentmindedly.

He reached out and wiped a small trace of soy milk from Sam's mouth. Tucker rolled his eyes and left.

Sam and Danny waited until he was out the door and out of sight, before bursting out laughing.

"I thought he'd never leave," Danny said, getting up. "I'm gonna get a real shake, want some more of that soy stuff?"

Sam shook her head, and he returned moments later with a vanilla milk shake, his favorite. He sat down again and looked around the half empty restaurant.

"Did you know you have little brown specs in your eyes," he said, "Talk about boring. I don't know how people do it."

"Do what?"

"You know, look each other in the eyes all the time."

"Didn't bother me much. Remember, the deal was we do this one week. If he isn't sick of us then, nothing will work."

Danny grinned, and looked at her, accidentally looking into her eyes again. It gave him a small jitter in the stomach. Pretending to be her boyfriend was nicer than he thought it would be.

"One week," he said, "We ignore him, shut him out. That'll teach him for getting on our case all the time. He won't want us together after this."

Sam nodded, and slurped up the last bit of her soy milk shake.

"What about tonight?" she asked.

"We forget, of course. Let him think."

"He's gonna think the worst..."

Danny grinned wickedly. "He is, isn't he..."


	2. Saturday

**Saturday**

Tucker was annoyed. He had gone to the arcade the night before and had waited - and played games - for almost two hours before finally going home. He had tried calling them, but neither of them answered their phones, and when he tried their houses, Danny's parents said they were at Sam's, while Sam's parents said they thought they were with him. He had quickly covered up for them by saying he was late and would catch them later. But it annoyed him no end.

What were they doing? Why didn't they pick up their phones? Ghost fight? Or... He didn't finish that thought. They were sixteen. They wouldn't...

Truth was, although Tucker was glad he saw his efforts of the past two years rewarded, he was a little taken aback by the intensity of the thing. They had known each other for a long time. Surely they didn't need to look at each other all the time? He had thought that somehow, everything would remain the same, only the blushy moments would be gone.

He walked to Danny's house, not too early, because he knew Danny liked to sleep in. Sam wouldn't be awake before noon, so there was no use in trying her house. He was hoping to catch Danny alone, so he could grill him over what they had been doing last night. He smiled evilly, thinking about how to make his best friend squirm.

He arrived at the Fenton residence well before eleven o'clock, and was let into the house by Mrs Fenton herself.

"They're in Danny's room, hun," she said, hardly looking at him, but instead gazing at a strange, square contraption with meters and dials.

"They?" Tucker thought, as he ascended the stairs.

He debated himself if he would just barge in on them, but in the end, decided to knock. A squeak came from within the room and then some laughter.

"Danny?" Tucker asked.

"Um, right, Tuck. Wait a minute. I'll um, open the door."

To his utter surprise, Tucker heard Danny unlock the door before he opened it, looking slightly disheveled. Sam was sitting on the unmade bed, cross legged, smiling serenely. Tucker gaped.

"W-What?" he asked, and then, suspiciously, although he didn't want to hear the answer, "Why did you lock your door?"

"To have a little privacy, of course," Sam said.

Danny started rubbing the back of his neck, turning a deep crimson.

"Good," Tucker thought, "I'm gonna get him for this." Out loud, "Where were you last night? I waited for two hours!"

They were both silent, looking at each other, smiling. Then they seemed to realize what they were doing, because they started talking at the same time.

"We forgot, you know lost track of time..."

"There was a ghost and we chased it, it was, um, Skulker..."

Tucker threw his hands into the air.

"Come on, guys, what really happened? It's me, Tucker!"

Danny looked at him, suddenly turning on his ice cold gaze he normally reserved for ghosts, bullies and other trash.

"Exactly," he said.

He turned around and gallantly held out his hand to Sam, who let him help her off the bed, smiling. They left the room holding hands, but Tucker noticed they let go when they entered the kitchen, where Maddie was sitting at the kitchen table with her tools and wire filled inventions. Suddenly, they were acting like their normal selves again. Danny quickly made himself and Sam a sandwich, and they ate it sitting on the kitchen counter, because there was nowhere else to sit.

Once outside, however, Danny wrapped his arm firmly around Sam's shoulders, and they remained that way all the way to the mall. Tucker was walking next to them, mostly left to his own devices, because somehow his two friends had a lot to talk about that didn't include him. They were discussing gothic poetry, of all things. Suddenly, Sam turned to Tucker.

"We're going to a poetry slam Monday at the Skulk and Lurk, wanna come?"

It sounded like they had already decided to go, but hadn't thought to include him. Danny frowned at Sam, as if he didn't like her to invite Tucker.

"No thanks," Tucker said curtly, "Not my thing. I suppose that means our game night is off?"

"Sorry Tuck," Danny said, looking relieved, "Some other time, OK?"

If Tucker thought his shocks for the day were over, he was mistaken. Once inside the mall, Sam grabbed Danny's arm and started pulling him towards a jewelry store. Danny seemed to be resisting her a little, a worried expression on his face.

"Come on, Danny," Sam said, grinning, "We talked about this, remember?"

"Y-yeah," he said, "But I didn't think..."

"You agreed. No time like the present. There's no use putting it off."

She pushed the door open and entered, dragging a reluctant Danny and a curious Tucker with her. They walked up to the lady behind the counter and Sam pointed at Danny.

"He wants to have his ear pierced," she said smugly.

"What!" Tucker said.

He turned to his friend, who smiled weakly and shrugged.

"You can have one too, you know," Sam said to Tucker, smiling evilly.

He paled and backed away.

"N-no thanks, I think I'll just wait outside."

He practically ran from the shop. Danny watched him leave and then turned to Sam.

"Do we really need to go through with this?"

"Sure we do. It'll convince him you're my boyfriend and you do anything I say."

He scowled at her. "I'm not your boyfriend, and I still do anything you say," he said.

The lady behind the counter started tapping her foot. With a resigned sigh, Danny followed her to the back of the store, where she picked up a shiny metal piercing gun.

"Gold or stainless steel?" she asked.

"Steel," Sam said.

Danny sat down in the chair and apprehensively eyed the piercing gun.

"Come on, Danny, it won't hurt much," Sam said, "You've been hurt a lot worse."

"I know," he said, wincing, "But now I see it coming."

The woman quickly disinfected his left ear, picked up a marker and put a tiny purple dot on it. Then she looked at Sam for approval. The goth grinned and nodded.

"Relax," the lady said to Danny, putting his earlobe in the small opening in the piercing gun.

She pulled the trigger, and with a loud clang the steel stud was shot through his earlobe. Danny blinked. The lady smiled encouragingly at him and put the gun down.

"That's it," she said, "See? Doesn't hurt at all."

"Be glad you only have to do one ear," Sam said, "The second one is always worse."

Danny shook his head and carefully fingered the piece of metal that was now through his ear.

"My mom's gonna kill me," he said.

* * *

"You know, your mom's gonna kill you," Tucker said as he looked at the silver stud in Danny's left ear. 

Sam grinned. "I'm not done yet," she said.

She dragged them into her favorite store and fitted Danny with a black t-shirt with a black skull on a white pentagram, bearing the words 'Death or Glory'. He flatly refused to trade in his jeans for some pants with lots of chains and zippers on it, but did get talked into a pair of combat boots. Sam payed the lot, and when they were finally standing outside again, Tucker felt distinctly out of place between the two goth-like figures next to him.

He walked home in the afternoon, way earlier than he normally would have.

* * *

_OK, so I think earrings look cute on guys. I wish I was as persuasive as Sam is though..._


	3. Sunday

**Sunday**

Danny was sitting on the low wall that was at the edge of the pond in the park, dangling his feet above the water. Sam sat next to him, cross legged, throwing small stones into the water. They hadn't said anything for the past half hour, but were just sitting there, watching people go by, children playing in the playground on the other side of the water, people walking their dogs.

"I'm bored," Danny said.

"Me too."

They were silent again. It was a companionable silence, not an awkward one. They'd never be awkward around each other, they knew each other too well for that. It was just that they had run out of things to say.

"I wish Tucker was here," Sam said, throwing another pebble into the water, "He'd say something funny or stupid, or come up with a plan to do something."

She turned to Danny. "How about a game of Doomed?" she asked.

"You always beat me. With Tucker, I have a chance. With you..."

"Can't stand losing from a girl?"

"Can't stand _always_ losing. I try to avoid fights I can't win."

"You fight Plasmius," Sam pointed out.

"I have no choice there, do I. I don't go looking for it. He always finds me... Gah!"

Danny suddenly tumbled forward and fell face first into the water. He struggled for a moment and then found the bottom. Slowly, he got up, water dripping from his hair, green water plants hanging on his head and his shoulders.

Dash was laughing hysterically.

"Oh, that's classic," he said, wiping the tears from his eyes.

Paulina stood next to him, her hands on her hips, smirking. Sam was now standing, her fists clenched, a murderous look in her eyes.

"Aw," Paulina said, "Look. The goth is protecting her boyfriend."

* * *

Tucker had decided he was going to surprise his friends. They had gone off by themselves again that morning, but he had subtly questioned Danny's mother and had managed to put together that they were probably at the park. So he had gone to all their usual hangouts, and had finally spotted them sitting on the wall across the pond, throwing pebbles into the water. 

So he had walked around the pond and was just closing in on them when he saw Dash push Danny into the water. After a few seconds of splattering, the teen emerged, standing up in the shallow water, water plants hanging into his face. He wiped them away and looked angrily at Dash, who was laughing hysterically.

Tucker ran closer to help his friend and was just in time to hear Paulina's remark. Danny climbed out of the water and faced them, having his back to Tucker.

"I'm not her boyfriend!" he yelled at them. Sam remained quiet.

Tucker stopped in his tracks and saw Sam looking at him. She leaned forward and nudged Danny, who looked around and caught sight of his friend.

"Oh crud. I'm sorry, Sam, I didn't mean... I mean, I'm so used to... you know I didn't mean it."

Sam blinked at him.

"Oh, to hell with it," Danny said.

He stepped closer to Sam, still dripping, and grabbed her head with both hands, looking deep into her eyes as if to ask her permission. Then he leaned forward and kissed her.

"What the...," Dash said, and Tucker saw him looking at the two kissing 'losers' in astonishment.

Paulina squealed.

"Geek love!" she exclaimed, "It's so... geeky!"

Danny seemed to have forgotten his tormentors were there, pulling Sam close against his wet body. Sam hesitated for a bit, but then wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into him. Dash shot Tucker a surprised and somewhat angry look, and then quickly pulled Paulina away with him.

"You're dead, Foley," he muttered as he passed Tucker.

Paulina, however, beamed at him. Tucker figured it probably had something to do with the bets they had standing with him. Paulina was gaining, Dash was losing.

"Um, guys," Tucker said, "They're gone, you know."

"Oh, really?" Danny muttered, not about to stop, but Sam pushed him away.

"Look what you did," she said, pointing at her wet tank top.

Danny cocked his head sidewards and stared at her.

"I should do that more often," he said, smirking.

Tucker rolled his eyes.

"Guys, I'm standing right here, you know," he said.

"Yeah, yeah," Danny said, finally turning around.

He raked his hands through his hair and fished out several more water plants. Then he looked down at this combat boots.

"Oh man, I hope they're not ruined now," he said.

They walked back to Danny's house so he could get changed into something dry. Sam demanded a t-shirt from him, saying she couldn't go home like that or her mother would wonder, and Danny graciously supplied her with one of his white ones with a red oval on it. He also put one on himself, throwing his new black shirt on top of the hamper.

"What did your mom say about that thing in your ear, anyway?" Tucker asked, sitting in his usual spot at Danny's computer.

"Well," Danny said, rubbing his neck, "She obviously didn't like it, but she said since I was sixteen I could make up my own mind about that. So basically, she was cool."

He glanced at the clock.

"You know what," he said, "I still need to do my homework..." He glanced at Sam. "Have you...?"

Tucker felt himself go cold. They were sending him away again. They knew he had already done his homework in detention. He got up.

"I'm off, then," he said coolly, "You two have fun doing.. homework."

Danny watched his friend march out of the room and his eyes clouded over. The smile fell from his face and he sat down heavily on his bed next to Sam.

"I don't like this," he said, "I hate doing this to him."

"I don't like it either, but it's for his own good," Sam said, "He's obsessed with us getting together."

Danny pulled up his legs and rested his chin on his knees.

"Do you think we'd really drive him away like this if we were together?" he asked.

Sam looked down and started playing with the hem of the white t-shirt she was wearing. It looked totally out of place on her.

"I don't think so," she said, "I think we'd..."

She stopped.

"What?"

She waved her hand. "It doesn't matter, because we aren't."

It sounded final. Danny sighed.

"Let's get to that homework," he said.


	4. Monday

**Monday**

The morning started out fairly good for Tucker. The news of Danny and Sam hooking up was already spreading thanks to Dash and Paulina, and he had already collected a fair amount of cash before he reached his locker. Paulina had had a bet running that they'd kiss before Christmas of that same year, so he had had to pay her, but Dash had said they'd never get together since they were too clueless. He threatened Tucker for a while, but in the end he did pay up.

Tucker was frantically tapping his PDA to enter the score, when Danny and Sam approached, walking hand in hand. Students were stepping aside for them, making way for the new couple, who looked at them oddly. They were getting a lot of stares.

"What's going on?" Danny asked Tucker when he reached his locker.

"Dude," Tucker said, "People have been laying bets on when you two would finally hook up. You're the talk of the town."

"What!"

Danny's happy expression changed into a scowl, and Sam didn't look much happier. Tucker prudently decided to keep his own role in it to himself. His friends were shooting worried looks at each other, and Tucker wondered why.

"Let's get to class," Sam said curtly.

She grabbed Danny's hand and dragged him away. Tucker followed, slightly annoyed that she forgot he was in the same class they were.

The entire morning, Danny and Sam were passing notes to each other, in full view of Tucker and the rest of the class. Whenever one of the teachers had his or her back to the students to write something on the board, the whole class would turn around and gaze at the couple in the back row. They seemed to be slightly taken aback by that, and they ceased their whispering and passing notes for a while.

Upon entering Mr Lancer's classroom, the overweight teacher actually got up from behind his desk and walked towards them.

"I believe congratulations are in order?" he asked.

Danny started rubbing the back of his neck again and Sam blushed.

"Um, yes, thanks Mr Lancer," she said.

They practically ran towards the back of the classroom to their usual seats and started whispering in a frantic tone.

"What's going on!" Danny hissed, looking at the students entering the classroom, looking at them and either smiling or scowling.

"I don't know," Sam whispered back, "Maybe Tucker knows? Where is he, anyway?"

At that moment the techno geek burst into the classroom, almost falling down. He quickly recovered, and rushed to the seat next to Sam just in time, frantically typing something on his PDA.

"Mr Foley?" Mr Lancer asked in a threatening tone.

"Almost done, almost done," Tucker said, "There."

Before Mr Lancer could say anything more, he dumped the device into his backpack and sat up straight, putting an attentive expression on his face.

Danny bend over to Sam. "What's he up to?" he whispered.

Sam shook her head. "I don't know," she hissed from the corner of her mouth, shooting a dark look in Tucker's direction.

Tucker caught that look and put on the most innocent expression he could muster. Sam's gaze darkened. Then she turned back to Danny, who was leaning his head on his hands, staring at the blackboard as if he was paying attention.

"So, what are you gonna do tonight?"

"Dunno. Homework?"

"Wanna come with me? After all, we said we'd go... as friends, of course."

Danny thought about it for a moment and then shrugged.

"Sure, why not. It's not like I have something better to do."

"Mr Fenton, although I can appreciate your desire to chat with your girlfriend, I do require of you that you pay attention in class. I'm sure that you can wait until lunch hour to tell her how beautiful she is."

Danny turned red and sank down in his chair. Several snickers could be heard throughout the classroom and Sam punched him. He stayed silent after that, hunched over his desk, pretending to take notes while he stared at Sam. Tucker got a little crept out by the intensity of his gaze, but Sam seemed oblivious.

The sound of the bell finally released them from their lectures for an hour, and Tucker made a beeline for the cafeteria, to try to be first in line. Sam and Danny followed more slowly, the first because she had brought her own lunch and the second because he obviously wanted to stay with her.

When Tucker finally got to their usual table, his plate stacked with as much meat as he could talk out of the lunch lady, he found himself alone. With a sinking feeling, he sat down and started to eat, hoping his friends would show up, but knowing they were probably off to find a secluded spot.

Sighing, he took out his PDA and started browsing through the various games he had on it in case he got bored in class. He picked one he could play with one hand, so he could eat with the other and started it up. 'Level 57' it said. He pressed OK.

"Guess it's just you and me, babe," he muttered, not entirely dissatisfied because of the growing amount of money in his pocket. The more they were caught up in each other, the longer it'd take them to find out what he had been up to. And in Tucker's opinion, postponed punishment was always better than instant wrath.

* * *

"Got you something," Sam said, holding out a wrapped package obviously containing something soft. And tingling. 

Danny frowned, sitting on his bed cross legged, his English books spread out around him, his notebook on his knees. Sam had entered the room fifteen minutes early, and he hadn't finished his homework yet. Not that he would have finished it in those fifteen minutes, as he sat there mostly daydreaming.

"What's this?" he asked, taking it from her and quickly unwrapping it.

He blinked at the folded black cloth, and then laid it out on the bed. It was the trousers he had tried on at the mall, but had refused to wear. They were covered with zippers and rivets and had bondage straps around the knees. A steel chain was acting as a belt.

"No way," he said.

"You're coming with me to the gothic poetry slam. The least you can do is look the part," Sam said.

"Tucker isn't even going to be there," he protested, apprehensively eying the offensive piece of clothing.

Sam tilted her head a little and opened her eyes wide.

"Please?" she said.

He stared at her.

"Oh, alright."

He shooed her out of the room and she waited in the hallway. A curious Jazz passed her, eyebrows raised so high they were almost touching her hair. She took a good look at the smug expression on Sam's face and stopped.

"This, I gotta see," she muttered, taking place opposite the door to Danny's room, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.

A muffled 'you can come in again' told the girls they could safely open the door, and Jazz didn't hesitate to follow Sam closely behind. She knew the goth had her brother totally under her spell, and in the end he'd do anything she told him too. She was curious as to what the girl had made him wear. She wasn't disappointed.

He was standing in the middle of the room, wearing the trousers Sam had bought for him, together with the t-shirt Jazz had seen him wear on Sunday. The low end of the trousers were tucked into his new combat boots and he was struggling with the spiked wristbands Sam had sneaked in with the trousers.

"Oh my," Jazz said, suppressing a giggle.

He glared at her. "Don't say it," he said warningly, eyes flashing green for a moment.

Jazz laughed, swirled around to leave the room but paused at the door.

"You're lost, you know," she said and ran out before he could throw something at her. He had an uncanny good aim.

Danny looked uncertainly at Sam.

"I am?"

She nodded wickedly. "Let's go," she said.

Rushing past his parents, his mother raising her eyebrows as high as Jazz had and his father simply gaping at him, he pulled Sam out of the house as quickly as he could. He didn't stop pulling her along until they were around the corner.

"Relax," Sam said, "Nobody knows you there. You'll fit right in, you'll see."

"No," he huffed, "But they know me here. I have to live here, you know."

"Since when do you care what other people say about you?" she asked.

He dropped his shoulders and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"I suppose I shouldn't," he said grumpily.

They walked in silence for a while, each caught up in their own thoughts, Danny contemplating his missing his traditional Monday night gaming with Tucker, Sam simply marveling at how good her friend looked in the clothes she had picked out for him. Too bad he only listened to her now, because they were fooling Tucker.

Danny followed Sam through the Skulk and Lurk bookstore to the cramped room in the back, containing small round tables and lots of wooden chairs. The back of the room consisted of a small stage and a microphone, and as they entered, a thin figure wearing a long black dress with a very tight bodice was breathing a dark, incomprehensible poem into the microphone. Sam took Danny's hand and led him to a table in the back which was still free. He smiled at the feel of her small hand in his calloused one.

"You come here every Monday?" he asked her, sitting down next to her.

"Not _every _Monday," she whispered back, as a new figure started declaring his dark view on the world, "Do you want something to drink?"

He nodded. "A Coke, please," he said.

She got up, smiled at him and made her way towards the tiny bar on the other end of the room. Danny watched her weaving her way through the tables, noticing for the first time that she too had dressed up for the occasion. She now wore a black PVC miniskirt trimmed with black and white lace, a tight red and black corset he had never seen her in and black, elbow length laced gloves with a skull on it and the word 'Poison' beneath it. He thought she looked stunning and his heart skipped a beat.

"Hello there," a voice breathed into his ear, and he almost jumped.

The girl that had been on stage earlier sat down in Sam's chair and leaned her arms on the table, allowing him an excellent view on the top of her dress, showing a lot of cleavage. He gulped and tore his eyes away to a more appropriate place.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"D-Danny," he stuttered, trying to keep his eyes where they belonged, on her face.

"I'm Alicia," she said, "I saw you come in. Did you like my poem?"

For the life of him, Danny couldn't have told her what it had been about.

"Sure," he said, "It was nice. I mean, dark. Gothic."

Her eyes bore into him and he started wishing Sam would come back with his coke. She leaned even closer.

"The only certainty in life is death," she said earnestly.

"You have no idea how true that is," a cold voice sounded behind him, "Considering who you're talking to."

Danny almost knocked the coke from her hands as he snapped his head up. Sam looked steadily at the girl on her seat, who slowly got up, smiled at Danny and swayed away. He stared after her.

"What was that?" he asked.

Sam sat down next to him and shrugged. "There's some weird people around here," was all she said.

They spent the evening listening to more poems being recited, most of them awful but some of them good, and one of them sending shivers up his spine as it recited about life and death coming together and the alluring song of the dark side.

"Let's go," he whispered to Sam when it was finished, "This one is too close to home. Somebody just walked on my grave."

He walked Sam home in the warm summer evening, chatting lightly about the poems they'd heard and the strange figures that hung around there.

"Do you ever recite a poem there?" Danny asked her.

"Sometimes," she said.

"Can I read them?"

She stopped and looked at him.

"I'd rather you didn't," she said.

"Oh."

They stopped at her house, standing in the orange light of the streetlights.

"Um," Danny said, "This was actually fun. Thanks."

"You're welcome," she said.

They looked at each other. He leaned forward a bit, and they could feel their breaths on each other's faces. Then Sam blinked, quickly changed direction from what she was about to do and pecked him on the cheek. He stepped back, a hesitant smile on his face, waved at her and walked away.

He felt the soft touch of her lips on his cheek all the way to his house.


	5. Tuesday

A/N: I'm in kind of a hurry, so I'll reply the reviews I haven't replied to yet later...

* * *

**Tuesday**

"How is he doing?" Danny asked Sam, who was peering around the corner into the cafeteria.

They were standing outside, leaning against the wall, attempting to keep an eye on Tucker without being seen. The whispering and the strange looks had continued today, and Tucker had been running around all morning, looking smug and annoyed at the same time whenever they came into view. They couldn't shake the feeling their technological obsessed friend was up to something.

"He's by himself," Sam reported, "Sitting at our table, eating dead animals."

Her cheek flushed red in anger.

"He's stuffed his plate so full I think probably two poor cows were killed just so Mr Carnivore here can put his teeth into them, I should..."

Danny grabbed her arm just as she started heading to the door to tell Tucker what she thought of him.

"Not today!" he said urgently, "Kill him over it next week! You're supposed to be with me making out somewhere, remember?"

She hesitated for a moment, but then relaxed.

"Alright," she said, "But you hold him down for me then."

Danny was just about to open his mouth to answer her, when somebody big and bulky heaved him up into the air and slammed him against the wall.

"Ack, Dash, now what do you want," Danny said angrily.

He tried to move a little, squirming to at least get his feet to the ground, but the jock only pressed harder.

"You cost me money," he said threateningly.

"I don't see how beating me up is gonna help that."

"It helps me cope," Dash smirked.

At that moment, the jock suddenly yelped in pain and let go of the unfortunate teenager, grabbing his knee and hopping around on one leg, groaning.

"Danny, run!" Sam yelled.

The ghost boy didn't need to be told twice, as several other jocks, including Dash's friend Kwan, were already closing in on him, trying to hold him in place until Dash recuperated from the kick in the shins Sam had delivered. Making furtive use of his intangibly, making it very hard to hold on to him and making him seem extremely slippery, he managed to break through them and take off at high speed.

Sam followed more slowly, knowing Danny could easily loose the jocks by going invisible as soon as he was out of sight. She jogged after the jocks who were just rounding the corner when a loud explosion threw them back. Suddenly worried, Sam hastened to the corner past the pile of jocks sprawled on the grass, to see Skulker towering over Danny, who looked a bit scorched but alright.

"This just isn't my day, is it," Danny scowled at the metallic ghost.

"On the contrary," Skulker said, retracting his cannon into his shoulder and retrieving a rocket launcher from his back, "This is your day. This is the day you become a nice pelt at the foot of my bed. I think I'll have your head on the wall, next to that stupid ghost moose I caught grazing in my lair last week."

Danny quickly glanced back, to see Dash and his friends get up on their feet, gaping at the enormous ghost with the flaming green hair. Going ghost was out of the question. He looked at Sam pleadingly and she understood what it was he wanted.

"Look," she shouted, pointing behind the jocks, "Another ghost!"

That was all it took. Screaming, the band of football players left the scene, giving Danny some privacy.

"Danny, wait," Sam called.

Her friend dodged the rocket by jumping sidewards and then rolling out of the way.

"Hurry up," he yelled.

Sam shrugged her backpack from her shoulders and started swirling the thing by it's hinges, taking aim. Then, she let go of the purple spider and it flew into the air, straight against the security camera trained on the fight. It came down with a clunk.

"OK!" she yelled.

Danny didn't wait, but transformed into his ghostly alter ego in mid back-flip, dodging another ecto blast from skulker. Sam watched the fight unfold in a more evenly matched way, grinning at her friends agile movements and easy counter attacks. Finally, he blasted Skulker into the ground, leaving a medium sized crater. He landed next to it, lazily uncapped his thermos and sucked him in.

Sam was just about to approach him when she heard pounding footsteps coming from around the corner, so she stepped back to see who was brave enough to run into a ghost fight.

"Where's the fight?" Tucker panted, coming to a stop in front of Sam.

"We took care of it," Sam said, nodding at Danny, who came strolling towards them, still in ghost form.

She loved it when he did that. It gave her such a nice view on his now well toned body. Tucker saw her staring at her friend and drew all the right conclusions.

"Right," he said, "Well, I guess that means I'm redundant here then."

He turned around and left, his shoulders slumped. Danny stood next to Sam, watching him leave while transforming himself back into Danny Fenton. He didn't say anything, but Sam knew what he was thinking. They were hurting their friend, on purpose, and it didn't feel good.


	6. Wednesday

**Wednesday**

Danny dragged himself to school that morning, feeling completely worn out after chasing some ghostly weasels the whole night. At first, he had thought it'd be easy, catching the one glowing green weasel when it ran from some trash cans, but then he had discovered there were dozens of them, rampaging through the town, running through houses, knocking things over. The damage each single weasel did was minor, but Danny suspected that if it was all added up, it would still be a sizable sum. And he would be blamed for it.

At his locker, he met with a happy, smiling Tucker and a tired looking Sam.

"Wow," Tucker said, raising his eyebrows suggestively, "You two look worn out."

Danny glared at him.

"I was up all night chasing weasels, thank you very much. I didn't have time for... other things." Danny turned to Sam. "What happened to you?"

"You weren't the only one catching weasels," she said, digging into her backpack and handing him a half full thermos, "They were in our basement, and they wouldn't keep quiet. I caught them all, there's at least ten of them in there."

"Wow, they must really like your basement then," Danny said, "Thanks."

He stuffed the thermos into his locker, resolving to take it home and empty it there after school. Sam shrugged.

"You should see it now. It looks like a herd of elephants went through it. How such a small animal can do so much damage is beyond me."

They looked at each other, suddenly remembering what they were supposed to do and blushing. Tucker watched as they quickly stepped closer to each other, glanced at him hesitantly and then briefly kissed and hugged each other. He thought he heard Danny say, "I'm sorry, I forgot", but he couldn't be sure. Then they turned around and left, leaving him standing there as if he no longer existed. His good mood vanished, and he followed them to their first period class.

* * *

"I can't stand this anymore," Danny moaned, as he was rudely awakened by the bell for the fourth time that morning. 

Thankfully, now was lunch time, so he could try and get some real rest instead of the fitful naps he had attempted in class. Slowly, he willed his over tired limbs to move, to gather the books he hadn't even looked at and the notebook that was still empty. Sam didn't look much better, but at least she had managed to stay awake, lacking Danny's ability to sleep almost anywhere.

They left the classroom together, Danny automatically wrapping his arm around Sam's shoulders. Tucker followed, almost getting used to being ignored now, but still not liking it for a bit. He started to wonder if this was worth all that money he had won. He watched his friends go past the cafeteria to wherever they had been hiding for the past few days, trying not to think about what they could be doing. Although it looked like now they were just going to get some sleep.

Not wanting to eat alone again, he sat down with the other techno geeks, something he usually avoided since they were the targets of most of the food that was thrown by the jocks in the cafeteria. Sure enough, the first peas were in his hair before he even sat down. He sighed. Their unbreakable trio might be low on the food chain, the techno geeks were definitely lower.

The conversation was pleasant enough, if a bit one sided. Tucker really enjoyed talking about his PDA and the new gadgets that were available for it, but he missed arguing with Sam over the meat he had stacked on his plate. It never failed to aggravate her when he loaded his plate as full as he could, and he really wasn't that hungry. It was just no fun this way.

He didn't see them again before his class started, which he had without them, so it was almost an hour later when he discovered they had disappeared. Dash started making rude comments when he saw their empty seats and the class snickered, but Tucker was worried. Should he go looking for them, were they in a ghost fight? Or should he stay well away from them?

His dilemma was resolved by their Spanish teacher.

"Tucker, where are your friends?" Mrs Gonzales asked.

He shrugged. She waved her hand.

"Go look for them," she said, "We are going to watch a movie in the last half hour, and they need to see it to be able to do their homework."

So Tucker walked the halls aimlessly, holding his hall pass in his hands, wondering where to start. They wouldn't be anywhere where people would have found them the previous hour, so that ruled out classrooms or the gym. He opened the janitor's closet, his hands in front of his eyes and peeking through his fingers, but it was empty.

Then he remembered that they had been outside the day before, so he walked through the cafeteria, which was now clean again, through the door into the sunny picnic area. The sun felt nice on his skin, and he realized that if his tired friends had been sitting of laying in the sun somewhere, they might have fallen asleep.

Quickly, he scanned the lawn, walking around, until he reached the large tree in the middle of the grounds. Two figures were laying there, the taller Danny on his back, his arms wrapped around his girlfriend, who had her head on his shoulder, her arms wrapped around his chest. They were in the shade, making it hard to see them from the school. That was why nobody had noticed them.

Not bothering to take a picture he stepped closer to shake them, but then hesitated. They looked so peaceful together, content smiles on their faces as they laid in each other's embrace, breathing softly. He almost felt sorry for them. But then he remembered how they abandoned him all the time, running off together, ignoring him if he happened to stand close, seemingly totally lost in each other.

Tucker had never thought they would do that. He couldn't for the life of him figure out why they were suddenly acting like that, as if nothing in the world mattered anymore, as if their friendship was something that no longer mattered now that they acknowledged the fact that they were in love. Still...

Tucker frowned. They hadn't been together last night. Danny hadn't known about the weasels in Sam's basement until this morning. And when they had met at Sam's locker, they had acted normal until Danny suddenly 'remembered' to kiss Sam. How could he forget? Granted, he was tired, but would he forget he had a girlfriend, when he obviously had been unable to take one step without her in the past week? Unless...

"No," Tucker whispered to his sleeping friends, "You wouldn't... would you?"

He stared at them. To the casual onlooker, they looked like a couple, sleeping in each other's arms. But Tucker had seen them like that before, on the couch in Sam's basement, when they fell asleep watching a movie. In fact, he had dozens of pictures of them like that. It always caused some interesting scenes when they woke up to go home, blushing furiously while Tucker laughed his head off. So this wasn't uncommon.

They also had had fake out make outs before. Still frowning, Tucker took a step back, and then another. Then, he turned around and marched back into the school.

"Sorry, Mrs Gonzales," he said upon entering the classroom, "I can't find them."

* * *

Danny awoke from his slumber when he heard footsteps, walking away. He kept his eyes closed, however, to keep that nice and cozy feeling for a little while longer. His skin was warm, the grass was soft and the body laying against him fitted perfectly in his arms. He rolled his head sidewards and when his mouth touched her hair, he placed a soft kiss on it. 

"Hmm?" Sam muttered.

Danny sighed. She was about to wake up. He wanted that peaceful feeling to last forever. A breeze ruffled his hair, and suddenly it struck him how quiet it was. Surely lunch hour wasn't over yet?

"Sam?" he muttered, prying one eye open to look at the tree.

"Hmmm."

He shook her a little, and she moved, lifting her head and looking at him with lazy purple eyes.

"I think it's getting late," he said.

He popped up on one arm and faced her. It occurred to him that she hadn't removed the arm that was across his chest. She looked away from him and took in the deserted picnic area. For a moment, he was struck with the desire to take her face into his hands and just kiss her, so he looked away also.

"Oh my God," Sam said, "What time is it?"

Danny looked at his watch and cursed.

"We missed fifth period," he said, jumping to his feet, "If we hurry, we can make it into the last part of Spanish."

He held out his hand and pulled her to her feet also. She stumbled and fell forwards, so he caught her. For a brief moment, they stood there, breathing, and then Danny turned around, grabbed her hand and started running to the school.

When they entered Mrs Gonzales's classroom, the students in there started cheering, disrupting the movie they were seeing. Dash let out a loud whistle and some of the other jocks punched Danny's arm as he passed them on his way to the back of the classroom, blushing like mad.

"Heh," Danny said to Tucker, easing himself into his chair, "Fell asleep."

"Sure," Tucker smirked, "Whatever you say, Danny."

Danny rolled his eyes and quietly listened to Mrs Gonzales's lecture to him and Sam about being late. At the appropriate moment he mumbled an apology, as did Sam, and then he leaned back into his chair to watch the rest of the movie – in Spanish – in the now again quiet classroom, trying to concentrate so he could catch what they were saying. Inevitably, his thought wandered back to the feeling of Sam's sleeping body pressed against his. He could get used to that.


	7. Thursday

**Thursday**

"Tucker Foley!"

Tucker cringed and looked frantically around for a place to hide in the empty hallway. Too late. Just as he turned around to run away from the angry voice of one of his best friends, he looked straight into the icy blue ones of his other best friend. They had him effectively surrounded, and he backed away until his back collided with his locker.

"What's this?"

Voice in a disturbing friendly tone, Sam handed him a piece of paper. Tucker glanced at it, but didn't read it. He knew what it said. Danny grabbed it from her hands and started reading it to him instead.

"New! Pick a date, when will they get married? When will they have children? When will they get caught in the janitor's closet? Tucker Foley takes all bets. Now's the time to place them!"

His voice started soft but became increasingly louder, and his eyes flashed green for a moment, a sure sign Danny was angry.

"Um," Tucker said, frantically searching for an explanation that wouldn't result in having to run for his life from an angry half ghost and his gothic non-girlfriend. He didn't know what scared him more. He had come to school early, hoping to avoid them, because the time had been nearing they would find out. It had surprised him it had taken them so long. Handing out leaflets had probably not been one of his brightest ideas.

"So, how much did you score?" Sam asked in that same friendly tone.

Yup. The goth definitely was the more scary one.

"With what?" Tucker squeaked, trying to buy time.

Danny shoved him against the locker and Tucker winced. It occurred to him that he had never seen Danny this angry at him before.

"You know what we mean. You've organized a gambling racket on us. You've been collecting money all week. No wonder Dash has been on my case since Monday, saying I cost him money. Do you know how many times he stuffed me in my locker for that?"

"He'll get over it," Tucker said, "And it's not like you can't get out easily."

"Oh, he'll get over it alright," Danny said, a dangerous gleam in his eyes.

The hallway was starting to fill up with people going to their lockers, chatting, totally ignorant of the argument that was taking place between the three of them. Tucker started to sweat, guessing what his friend was about to do.

"No, don't," he said.

Danny and Sam gave him a strange look, and then Danny straightened and stepped back until he was in the middle of the hallway.

"Hey, listen up," he yelled, using some of his ghostly ability to wail to enhance his voice.

It was so loud that people instantly stopped talking and turned to him in surprise. Danny grinned.

"I know that Sam and I may have given you the impression that we're together. Well, we're not. We're friends, best friends, that's all. So if you have somehow lost money in a bet with my good friend Tucker Foley here, I suggest you take it up with him. Thank you."

Tucker stared at Danny, who smirked at him. The silence in the hallway continued, and to Tucker's dismay, he noticed the attention was now on him. He started to wish feverishly, but without saying it out loud, that he had the ability to go intangible so he could sink through the floor. The crowd advanced on him, sliding around Danny, who was still standing there, like a rock in a river. Sam stepped away from Tucker and joined her friend.

"Now, look, people, why don't we talk about this," Tucker said, sliding sidewards, away from the angry students.

"I want my money back," Dash growled.

"Me too, me too!" several others shouted.

Tucker started frantically digging into his pockets.

"Look, look, I've got it, just... just let's go about this in an orderly fashion, alright?"

Danny watched his friend as he started handing back money, using his PDA as a reference. Then he half turned, caught himself when he almost wrapped his arm around Sam's shoulders and offered his arm instead. Sam smiled at the movement and slid her arm through his. For once, they were the first in class.

* * *

"So...," Sam said as they were sitting in their usual spot at the Nasty Burger, each sipping at their own milk shake, "Back to normal then." 

Danny nodded and looked away. The rain was pouring against the window, and he watched as the droplets trailed down their erratic path on the glass. The weather had suddenly deteriorated during the day, and Danny had flown them there, intangible so they wouldn't get wet. Tucker was still at the school, trying to sort out his money.

"Yeah," he said.

He tore his eyes away from the fascinating droplets and glanced at his once again best friend. She was looking down at her milk shake.

"I'm glad," she said.

"Me too."

Silence.

"I mean, you know, it was getting a bit awkward," Danny said, "With all the hugging and such. It's like dating your sister..."

His voice trailed away when he saw the sad look on Sam's face.

"I'm sorry," he said hastily, "I didn't mean to... I mean... What do I mean?"

He grabbed her hand and looked at her worriedly. He thought he was holding up fine, but he couldn't stand seeing her sad like this. His mouth twitched. Sam waved her hand and smiled weakly.

"It's the weather," she said, "It's bringing me down." She got up. "I have to get going. You know, homework and all."

Before he could offer to bring her home, she was gone. He slumped in his seat and stared at the remains of her milkshake. He really shouldn't feel so depressed about it. After all, it had been just pretend.

Twenty minutes later, Tucker found him still sitting there. The techno geek placed his tray on the table across from Danny, shoving Sam's unfinished milkshake aside. Then he muttered a 'be right back' to run into the restroom and use the blow dryer on his dripping hair. Minutes later he returned, noticing that his friend hadn't moved or even shifted his gaze.

"Hey," Tucker said.

"Hey."

Tucker took a bite out of his double Nasty Burger with extra Nasty sauce.

"Want some fries?" he asked, shoving the small bag with drooping fries in the direction of his friend.

Danny shook his head.

"Are you gonna talk to me?"

Danny looked up this time, a carefully constructed blank expression on his face. Tucker's gaze shifted to Danny's left ear, where the silvery stud still sat.

"What's there to talk about?" Danny asked.

Tucker took a fry and pointed it at Danny.

"About how you and your girlfriend tried to fool me into believing you were together, dumping me the whole week, making me think the worst..."

Danny shrugged. "That was the point, Tucker. We wanted to show you that you really wouldn't want us together. That you'd be the third wheel. That you should stop nagging us about it. It drives us crazy."

Tucker leaned back and laughed bitterly.

"God, you really are clueless, both of you," he said. He leaned forward. "Have you ever considered why you were so convincing in the past week? You two fit together, that's why. You managed to fool me and everybody else for five days! You two totally looked natural! Everybody could tell you wanted to be together. And no, you're not a great actor."

Danny's eyes flashed green. "Aren't you ever gonna stop," he growled, "What is it with you! We're friends. _Friends_! Why can't I be friends with Sam! You're friends with Sam, aren't you?"

"Yup," Tucker said, "But I'm not the one who's in love with her."

"Oh, give it a rest. I'm not in love with her."

"Really?" Tucker smirked at his friend. "Then why are you sitting here like you just broke up with your girlfriend? Oh wait, you did. Quit fooling yourself, Danny. You're not fooling anybody else."

"I fooled Sam," Danny muttered.

"What?"

"You heard me." He got up. "I'm sorry, Tuck," he said, "I'm not in the mood. See you tomorrow."

Tucker watched him step through the door into the rain, stand on the sidewalk for a moment and then take off in the direction of his house. Tucker shook his head.

"Idiot," he muttered.


	8. Friday again

**Friday**

Friday started out disturbingly normal. Tucker met Danny and Sam at their lockers, and they were chatting amiably, carefully avoiding the subject of what they had done during the past week. They included Tucker in their note passing in class again, Tucker caught the Box Ghost in the thermos after Danny had blasted him out of the store room, lunch was as usual, with only a few snide remarks from Dash that Danny ignored, although his eyes flashed green for a moment.

"Come on," Tucker finally said exasperatedly at the end of lunch, "How can you be so... casual about it! You were kissing each other last week!"

Danny rolled his eyes.

"Only once, Tucker," he said, and then, glancing at Sam, "OK, twice, but the second one was damage control, because I shouted at Dash I wasn't Sam's boyfriend and you were standing right there. And it has been pointless, because you _still_ won't leave us alone!"

Sam was staring down at her plate, but Tucker thought he saw a look of disappointment wash over her face. He started to get angry at his friends. How could they be so stupid to think that they could do this without any emotional repercussions? He turned to his other friend, who of course hadn't seen her face. He never did. It was like he did it on purpose. Tucker decided to prod him a little.

"Does this mean," Tucker said, a vicious gleam in his eyes, "You didn't like kissing her then?"

"No! I mean, yes, I mean... I don't have to take this."

Danny slammed his half empty plate on his tray, gathered his stuff and stomped off, keeping his eyes on the floor, lest somebody saw they were glowing a bright green. Tucker had no right to keep pestering him about it. He felt crappy enough as it was, and the effort to keep smiling all day was taking it's toll on him, causing a throbbing headache behind his eyes. Just as he entered the empty hallway, a blue mist escaped his mouth and he grinned.

"Hello, misplaced aggression," he muttered darkly as he transformed into his ghostly alter ego.

* * *

"Well," Tucker said, watching Sam cap the thermos, "That was different." 

He looked at the pieces of metal laying scattered on the football field. Some pieces were recognizable, arms, legs, a jet pack. Most of it was just shredded to pieces. Sam started sweeping the still glowing pieces up into her thermos, using it as a vacuum cleaner. It didn't take her long to remove all pieces of Skulker's suit from the field. Danny hovered beside her, watching, staying well clear of the blue vortex that could easily suck him in too.

"What time is it?" Sam asked, capping the thermos again.

Danny landed beside her, casually transforming back into an ordinary school boy. He still seemed to radiate power, however, so Tucker looked at him warily. Danny looked at his watch.

"We're missing study hall, no big deal."

He rolled his shoulders to ascertain that they were still functioning properly after Skulker had hit him with an unsuspecting blow. He had been careless and reckless, and he knew his friends had noticed. Skulker had paid for it though, and it would be some time before the 'Greatest Hunter of the Ghost Zone' would be seen in the human world again.

"Are you alright?" Sam asked, her voice a little uncertain, as if she didn't know how to convey the correct amount of concern anymore.

"Sure. Just a little sore," he answered, "Let's get to class."

The three of them walked back, Tucker walking in the middle, as always.

* * *

"You guys go on ahead," Tucker said with a resigned look on his face, "I've got detention. Again." 

Danny quirked his eyebrows at his friend, pausing his rummaging in his locker for a moment to look at him.

"What'd you do this time?"

"Same thing as last time," Tucker said, "Playing with my PDA during a lecture." He looked despairingly at Danny. "Lancer impounded it."

Danny gave Tucker a sympathetic gaze. "We'll wait for you, like last time," he said.

Tucker's face lit up. "Yes, you do that. Exactly like last time!"

Before Danny could answer him he was off, laughing. Danny didn't feel like laughing at all. Shoulders slumped, he leaned his forehead against the cool lockers and closed his eyes, feeling like an idiot.

"Are you trying to phase into the lockers or what?"

He looked up and found Sam smiling at him. She was holding some library books against her chest, and her backpack was hanging heavily on her shoulders. Without thinking, he took the books from her as they started walking away.

"I can carry my own books, you know," she said.

"I know."

Once outside, they sat down on the wall they usually sat when one of them had detention. They didn't speak for a while, watching the last students leave the school, walking to their cars or off to the football field for practice, others rushing towards waiting parents in cars with the engine running. The exhaust fumes laid a thick, oily blanket over the parking lot.

"Doesn't anybody walk to school anymore?" Sam asked, "I mean, half of them only live about a block away from here. You'd say it'd take them more time to get through the rush hour in the morning and park their car than just walk."

"You walk," Danny said, and then he grinned. "Personally, I like flying to school."

The parking lot cleared, the parents left, and it quieted down. A few shouts could be heard from inside the school, probably the drama club practicing. Danny let his feet dangle and examined the few strands of grass that were growing in the cracks in the concrete.

"I'm sorry," he said suddenly.

"For what?"

He kept his gaze down on the ground.

"For saying I didn't like kissing you. It's just... "

"Like kissing your sister?"

"No! I mean... no. I just think we shouldn't have done it. It complicates things."

Danny's mouth was dry as he tried sound caring without sounding... caring. She was his friend. How could he explain to her that the past week had awakened something inside him that was best left buried?

"You're probably right," Sam said, sounding pensive. She didn't look at him. "It was a bad idea. We're friends. We shouldn't have played with... feelings."

He chuckled, trying to sound lighthearted. "We'll get over it."

"Tucker won't. He'll be on our case worse than before. This whole thing backfired," Sam said unhappily. If only he knew how it had backfired, she thought.

They sat in a companionable silence for a while, their thoughts surprisingly similar, though they didn't know that. A slight breeze made the trees rustle, the sound of the traffic on the road providing the ever present background noise. The air shimmered above the few cars still left in the parking lot, presumably from either the football players, or from teachers grading papers or surveying detention.

"Do you think we'll ever, you know, meet someone, get a date like normal people?" Danny asked.

Sam shrugged. Her hands were in her lap, her fingers restlessly turning one of the rings that were on her fingers, a silver one with a skull on it. Her eyes were distant, gazing at the buildings across the road, not really seeing them.

"I've sort of given up," she said, "Two years, and we'll be in college. Maybe then."

Danny thought about that. Two years was a long time. Two years of goofing around with his friends. That wasn't so bad, was it? And after that, who knew.

"We're pathetic, aren't we," he said, smiling to indicate he was joking. A little.

"No, we're unique. We just have to find another unique person to be with. It can't be that hard, can it?"

"Isn't there anybody at the Skulk and Lurk you'd want to be with? One of those gothic types? Or maybe somebody from that environment club you're in?"

Sam shrugged.

"They're nice people," she said.

"But?"

"But nothing. They're just that. They're nice. Not like..."

Danny suddenly looked interested.

"Not like who?" he pressed.

Sam waved her hand, looking irritated.

"Just forget it, alright? I'll meet someone someday, and so will you."

Danny laughed cynically. "Right. Because I'm unique. I don't know, Sam, maybe I'm a little too unique. Maybe it just isn't for me, and I'll always be here, fighting, protecting Amity Park until I die."

She turned to him, her eyes blazing.

"Don't say that," she said angrily, "You're funny, you're smart although you don't show it, you're kind and friendly and caring and heroic, you always put everybody else's safety before your own although I hate that sometimes, you're cute when you smile and you're strong, and someday someone will see that and then they're lost."

He looked at her strangely.

"Do you see that in me?" he said softly.

She looked at the ground and said nothing, frantically turning the ring on her finger.

"Sam?"

His voice sounded hoarse. He reached out and touched her face, lifting her chin up.

"I...I had fun this week," he said awkwardly, "Even if it was fake and we were pretending, it felt like..."

"What are you saying?"

He took a deep breath. Now or never. Things would never be the same anyway.

"I...I think you're smart too, and funny, and caring and you always stand up for your beliefs and you don't compromise and you're brave and I really enjoyed kissing you," he rushed out.

"You did?"

He rubbed the back of his neck and looked away.

"Yeah."

"We... we could try again..."

"We could?"

"Sure."

* * *

Tucker rounded the corner, a sour look on his face, calculating the amount of money he still had to return to their rightful owners. He had paid back about half of them, and the rest was harassing him over it constantly. It wouldn't have been so bad if he hadn't already bought a new iPod. He'd have to return it. 

He looked up from his PDA to look for his friends who were waiting for him and almost dropped the thing.

"I'll be...," he muttered.

Quickly, he pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of the kissing couple in front of him, totally oblivious of what was going on around them. A huge smile spread on his face, and he ran away whooping and shouting, leaving a stunned Danny and Sam looking at the spot he had been standing at moments ago.

"You know we'll never hear the end of it now, don't you," Sam said.

Danny grinned.

"Might as well make the best of it then," he said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

They walked away from the school, and Sam put her arm around his waist.

"You'll have to leave the piercing now," she said warningly.

He brought up his left hand and felt the stud in his ear, turning it a few times.

"I was going to anyway," he smirked. He looked around. "I guess Tucker is off re-collecting his money. What shall we do in his absence?"

Sam couldn't stop smiling. She hugged him a little tighter.

"Oh, we'll think of something."

* * *

_There! Finished! See, I can do happy fluffy. Thanks for reading and special thanks to the people who took the trouble to review one or more chapters:_

_Princess of DP,__cordria,__Dani-Danny,__dannyluvr58,__Devilchild93, __DP fan, __goth.one, __LoveInsanity, __Luiz4200,__metluver, __sciencefreak330, __skitzofrenic,__ Theripula, __Thunderstorm101, __Wishes for Wings. _

_Now I'll get back to dark and dreary like a good little Nylah. Next one (besides 'Lost') will be a creepy one shot __(if I ever finish it)_


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